Staunton GOP to host school board forum

The Staunton Republican Committee will host a School Board Candidate Forum on Tuesday, April 29th, at 7:30 pm at Baldwin Park Retirement Community.

The candidates who filed for School Board will be present and will take questions from the audience.

Baldwin Park Retirement Community is located at 21 Woodlee Road in Staunton.

Jack Hinton, Weekday Religious Education President, passes away in Staunton....

A pillar of the community has passed away and his absence will be missed mightily by those of us who were blessed to know him. Jack Hinton, President of the Weekday Religious Education (WRE) program in Staunton, died Wednesday at his home in Staunton.

Jack was instrumental in working with Augusta GOP Chairman Kurt Michael to save WRE in 2005 when it came under attack from local libs who wanted to do away with the program in the local schools. Together they recruited SWAC-area church members and turned out over 500 people to a Staunton School Board meeting -- standing room only with people left outside because of the huge crowd. It was a stirring sight to see so many folks take time to make a statement. While tolerance was being preached toward other religions, it was not being enacted toward the Christian community.

Jack's quiet and gentle way helped win the day. He and Kurt, along with former school board member Andrea Oakes, worked for months to be sure the program was saved ... and that work was continuing even as Jack battled illness and, eventually, was taken from us.

His funeral will be Saturday with details to be announced later this week. Our prayers go to his family ... and our undying gratitude to Jack for his leadership under the withering fire of political correctness.

God bless.